Rachael Corson is the Co-Founder of Afrocenchix, a natural hair care brand for afro and curly hair.

Sold online and in select Wholefood stores, Afrocenchix has been featured in the likes of Vogue, Glamor, Stylist magazine, and has won numerous awards for its scientific approach to hair care.

Rachael co-founded the hair care brand whilst at university and has won numerous awards for her work, including the WeWork Global Creator Award, KPMG Black Entrepreneur Award, among others.


IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN:
1. Afrocenchix’s unique scientific approach to product
2. The importance of building an ethical, sustainable brand. The pros and cons that come with these values
3. Pitching Afrocenchix to Wholefoods and negotiating a deal that enabled the brand to be the FIRST Afro hair care brand in Whole Foods stores
4. Thoughts on product expansion to new categories
5. Sales strategy and balancing the need for exposure in stores versus selling online
6. What it was like pitching Ashton Kutcher and P Diddy at the WeWork Creator Awards in L.A., California


BOOKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
1. Shoe Dog
2. The Everything Store
3. Venture Deals
4. The Road Less Travelled
5. Leaders Eat Last
6. Boundaries for Leaders
7. David and Goliath
8. Blink
9. Tipping Point
10. 7 Habits of Highly Effective Leaders
11. Afrocenchix
12. Rachael’s Post on the WeWork Creator Awards
13. Backstage Capital Accelerator Program


And finally, we are running a COMPETITION! All you need to do is to review the show on your podcast provider and send a screenshot of the review to [email protected]. The best review will win a luxury scented candle!


FOLLOW US:
As always, keep up with the latest musings (@musedmondays) on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. 

In addition you can follow your host Karen Forster (@karenbforster) on Instagram and Twitter.

Tracy Chou is the Founder and CEO of Block Party, an app which is tackling online harassment.

Tracy is a former software engineer and one of the first hires at Quora and Pinterest. Alongside her engineering career, Tracy is most well-known for her work pushing for diversity in technology, co-founding the organization Project Include, alongside the likes of Ellen Pao.

For her advocacy and activism work, she has appeared on the covers of The Atlantic, WIRED, and MIT Technology Review. Tracy has been named Forbes Tech 30 under 30, MIT Technology Review 35 Innovators under 35, and Fast Company Most Creative People in Business; and been profiled in Vogue, ELLE, and other media outlets.


IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN:
1. What is online harassment and how it’s skewed to impact women and minority groups the most
2. How Block Party is solving the issue of online harassment and it’s route to monetization
3. Why social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter don’t care to address the issue of online harassment
4. Why we need to balance sharing our information on the internet with protecting our data
5. What it’s like to be a solo founder
6. When it’s important to ignore versus acknowledge conventional venture capital advice


BOOKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
1. Rage Becomes Her
2. Invisible Women
3. Block Party App
5. Tracy’s Op-Ed on being a solo founder
6. Project Include
7. Tim Ferriss Article on 11 Reasons Not to Become Famous


And finally, we are running a COMPETITION! All you need to do is to review the show on your podcast provider and send a screenshot of the review to [email protected]. The best review will win a luxury scented candle!


FOLLOW US:
As always, keep up with the latest musings (@musedmondays) on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. 

In addition you can follow your host Karen Forster (@karenbforster) on Instagram and Twitter.

Jen Neundorfer is a Founding Partner at January Ventures, an early stage venture capital firm, investing in women and minority technology founders.

Jen is an operator turned investor who has backed over 50 early stage startups. Previously, as a Partner and Co-Founder of Flashstarts, an early stage venture fund in the Midwest, she discovered her passion for investing in visionary women at the earliest stage of their entrepreneurial journeys. As an operator, she launched and scaled media and advertising businesses at 21st Century Fox and YouTube.


IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN:
1. Jen’s unique path to venture capital
2. January Ventures investment thesis and what the team looks for in potential investments
3. Opportunities and challenges of raising a fund focused on under-represented founders


BOOKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
1. Raising Boys
2. If you’re a women and / or minority founder seeking venture capital investment,  you can submit your pitch to January Ventures here


If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review. It helps with our visibility! The more people who listen to this podcast, the more we can invest in it and make it even better for you!


FOLLOW US:
As always, keep up with the latest musings (@musedmondays) on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. 

In addition you can follow your host Karen Forster (@karenbforster) on Instagram and Twitter.

Meg He is the Co-Founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ADAY, a direct to consumer fashion brand that sells technical, seasonless, closet staples.

Meg has 10+ years of experience across start-ups and venture capital. Meg started her career in investment banking at Goldman Sachs and went onto venture capital, working for the likes of Atomico and Aileen Lee at Cowboy Ventures, before transitioning to working at Poshmark. Meg is a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree.

ADAY has been recognized as one of The World’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company and 30 Female Founded Startups to Watch by Business Insider.


IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN:
1. Building ADAY and the problem that the fashion brand solves for Millennial and Gen-Z women
2. How to build a fashion brand in a hyper competitive fashion industry
3. Sustainability in the fashion industry
4. Entrepreneurship, failure, and mental health

Listen to the entire show and you may find an ADAY PROMO CODE during the discussion!


BOOKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
1. How to be an adult: https://amzn.to/38lJPGv
2. Check out ADAY


If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review. It helps with our visibility! The more people who listen to this podcast, the more we can invest in it and make it even better for you!


FOLLOW US:
As always, keep up with the latest musings (@musedmondays) on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. 

In addition you can follow your host Karen Forster (@karenbforster) on Instagram and Twitter.

Vernita Brown is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Natalist, a femtech start-up that sells fertility and pregnancy products online and in select Target stores.

Vernita has 10+ years of experience across leadership, asset management, program development, and recruitment. Vernita serves on the board of the International African American Museum, based in Charleston, South Carolina. She’s been recognized as one of Anderson Independent Mail’s “20 under 40”, Athena's Young Professional of the Year, and Greenville’s Best and Brightest.


IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN:
1. Fertility issues and Natalist’s product solutions
2. Building a sustainable femtech brand
3. Maternal mortality in the US and discrepancies amongst ethnic groups


BOOKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
1. Burnout
2. Natalist


If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review. It helps with our visibility! The more people who listen to this podcast, the more we can invest in it and make it even better for you!


FOLLOW US:
As always, keep up with the latest musings (@musedmondays) on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. 

In addition you can follow your host Karen Forster (@karenbforster) on Instagram and Twitter.

Amanda Goetz is the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of Teal, a start-up that helps professionals navigate change and drive their career with confidence and purpose, and the Founder of House of Wise, a luxury CBD Brand that helps women with stress, sex, and sleep.

Amanda has 15 years of marketing and branding experience, having worked for The Knot and celebrity wedding planner, David Tutera.


IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN:
1. Marketing, personal branding, and influencers
2. CBD and building House of Wise
3. Wedding planning tips


BOOKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
1. The Road Less Traveled and Beyond
2. Waking Up
3. House of Wise


If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review. It helps with our visibility! The more people who listen to this podcast, the more we can invest in it and make it even better for you!


FOLLOW US:
As always, keep up with the latest musings (@musedmondays) on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. 

In addition you can follow your host Karen Forster (@karenbforster) on Instagram and Twitter.

Kat Cole is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) and President of Focus Brands, the parent company of iconic food and beverage brands such as Carvel Ice Cream, Cinnabon, Auntie Annes, and Jamba Juice, and has a presence in 60+ countries.

Prior to Focus Brands, Kat Cole was an Executive Vice President of Hooters, an American sports bar & grill chain with an international presence. She’s been recognised as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader (YGL) and Fortune's 40 under 40 Top Young Business Leader.


IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN:
1. What it takes to build and run iconic brands that stand the test of time
2. How Focus Brands was actually ahead of the curve by leveraging technology to adapt to changing consumer habits
3. How Kat’s childhood experiences have shaped her leadership style


BOOKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
1. Leapfrog
2. Give and Take
3. Originals
4. It’s About Damn Time


If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review. It helps with our visibility! The more people who listen to this podcast, the more we can invest in it and make it even better for you!


FOLLOW US:
As always, keep up with the latest musings (@musedmondays) on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. 

In addition you can follow your host Karen Forster (@karenbforster) on Instagram and Twitter.

Noor Sweid, is the Founder and General Partner of Global Ventures, a Dubai headquartered venture capital firm focused on growth investments in the Middle East and Africa. Noor also founded Zen Yoga, a leading chain of yoga studios in Dubai.

Prior to founding Global Ventures, Noor worked at Depa Group, a global leader in interior solutions.


IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN:
1. Investing in the Middle East and Africa
2. What it’s like to work and scale a billion-dollar company that also happens to be the family business
3. How the region is ahead in enabling women to juggle professional and personal lives


BOOKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
1. The Conscious Parent
2. The Hard Things About Hard Things
3. What it Takes
4. The Art of Gathering
5. Untamed


If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review. It helps with our visibility! The more people who listen to this podcast, the more we can invest in it and make it even better for you!


FOLLOW US:
As always, keep up with the latest musings (@musedmondays) on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. 

In addition you can follow your host Karen Forster (@karenbforster) on Instagram and Twitter.

Tessa Clarke is the Co-Founder and CEO of OLIO, a food sharing app with 2M users across 50+ countries, who collectively have shared 6M+ portions of food.

Prior to founding OLIO, Tessa worked in a variety of corporate roles across Fintech, e-Commerce, and Management Consulting.


IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN:
1. How food sharing can be one of the most impactful things we can all do to tackle climate change
2. How she navigated fundraising and pitching to venture capital firms as a woman running a social enterprise technology start-up
3. What it was like to be chosen by the Duchess of Sussex and featured in a special edition of Vogue Magazine


BOOKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
1. This Changes Everything
2. The Great Disruption
3. The Lean Startup


If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review. It helps with our visibility! The more people who listen to this podcast, the more we can invest in it and make it even better for you!


FOLLOW US:
As always, keep up with the latest musings (@musedmondays) on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. 

In addition you can follow your host Karen Forster (@karenbforster) on Instagram and Twitter.

!!! Launch Alert !!!

Looking for inspiring content? Want to learn how to start or run a business? Want to break into a particular career?

Look no further with the launch of Mused Mondays! Starting from November 30, we'll be bringing you interviews with the very best of women in business, featuring entrepreneurs, executives, and investors from around the world! NEW episodes every Monday!

Want to keep up with the latest Musings? Hit subscribe to this channel! You can find more information and resources on the show at www.musedmondays.com. Keep up with the latest musings (@musedmondays) on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. 

In addition you can follow your host Karen Forster (@karenbforster) on Instagram and Twitter.

As you listen to the episodes, we'd love for you to leave a review. It helps with our visibility! The more people who listen to this podcast, the more we can invest in it and make it even better for you!